How to protect yourself from Amazon fraud..!?
As much as we'd like to believe we'd never fall for phishing, amazon is one of the most impersonated businesses according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Between 2020 and 2021, more than 6,000 people lost money to someone claiming to be with Amazon. The average amount lost falls under a thousand dollars per person. Nick Santora is a Certified Cybersecurity Professional. He said, “If you don't engage in rigorous testing, you will be hit at some point. The truth is, it's not 'now', it's 'when' phishing. The attack will happen.
The first step to protecting yourself is knowing how to spot a phishing message when you receive it. "Email (phishing) or text (SMS phishing, 'smishing') scams are an easy way for hackers to pretend to be someone you trust and steal money," Santora explains. There are a few ways to tell if messages are actually coming from amazon or not. Always check the sender's email address. If the email address doesn't end with @amazon.com, chances are you're dealing with a scammer.
Amazon also provides a list on their website with the trusted email addresses they use. Another thing to check is if the email asks for your password, username, gift card numbers, or other personal information. amazon will not ask you for this information via email. The last thing to do is check for spelling or grammar errors. If you receive an email or message about a gift, account suspension or some other spam content, do not click on any link in the email. Log in to your amazon account through your web browser and check if there is anything in your account.
If you are really concerned about your account information, contact customer service and see if they can help you. If you click on the link, scammers can access your personal information. christopher Lew, a CFA and founder of personal finance site WealthAwesome, explains. "This will allow them to search for sensitive information such as login credentials for your amazon account, social media accounts and online bank accounts." If you've been scammed or suspect you've been scammed, always contact your bank or credit card company and report it to the FTC.
Change all passwords for amazon accounts you have and passwords for your financial or personal logins. Experts suggest that doing all these things would be the right thing to do.
The first step to protecting yourself is knowing how to spot a phishing message when you receive it. "Email (phishing) or text (SMS phishing, 'smishing') scams are an easy way for hackers to pretend to be someone you trust and steal money," Santora explains. There are a few ways to tell if messages are actually coming from amazon or not. Always check the sender's email address. If the email address doesn't end with @amazon.com, chances are you're dealing with a scammer.
Amazon also provides a list on their website with the trusted email addresses they use. Another thing to check is if the email asks for your password, username, gift card numbers, or other personal information. amazon will not ask you for this information via email. The last thing to do is check for spelling or grammar errors. If you receive an email or message about a gift, account suspension or some other spam content, do not click on any link in the email. Log in to your amazon account through your web browser and check if there is anything in your account.
If you are really concerned about your account information, contact customer service and see if they can help you. If you click on the link, scammers can access your personal information. christopher Lew, a CFA and founder of personal finance site WealthAwesome, explains. "This will allow them to search for sensitive information such as login credentials for your amazon account, social media accounts and online bank accounts." If you've been scammed or suspect you've been scammed, always contact your bank or credit card company and report it to the FTC.
Change all passwords for amazon accounts you have and passwords for your financial or personal logins. Experts suggest that doing all these things would be the right thing to do.